Pimelea and Nostalgia forAuthentic Aussie Tacos
Day 9 2 November 2020 Flora of Lowlands Reserve
The plant I photographed today in Lowlands Reserve is Pimelea ferruginea. Pimelea is one of the first plant names I learned after arriving in Australia in 1988.
Pimeleas always bring to me the nostalgic memory of tacos, in hard corn shells with a bean filling topped with tomato salsa, lettuce, sour cream and cheese.
The rain refreshed Pimeleas vividly appealed to me today as I was enjoying my daily bush walk after having prepared veggie chilli for tonight’s book club
At our citizenship ceremony many years ago , we were presented with a native pot plant. We didn’t get to choose which one. I was taken aback when we were handed a potted Pimelea, as many Pimelea already grew wild on our block. At least it will be well suited to our garden, I thought. Anyway, I planted it and it promptly died shortly afterwards!
I’d invited two good friends to celebrate our newly acquired citizenship with a home made traditional Aussie dinner of tacos, which I’d had several times before at other Australian friends houses. I thought it was quintessential Aussie cuisine, as the taco packets didnt give much hint that this was “Mexican” food.
Serving up the hard corn tacos with beans, tomato salsa, shredded lettuce , sour cream and cheese, caused lots of giggles, as our friends explained that this is Mexican food not traditional Aussie fare.
However, I think in Mexico, hard corn tacos served with cheese are not particularly authentic. I think soft corn tortillas are more authentic and cheese is not used as a taco topping in traditional Mexican street food. Fast forward til today and my recipe has evolved only slightly — my veggie chilli is now made with sweet potato, quinoa and black beans, but still served in Scottish/Aussie style with hard corn tacos, cheese, sour cream, shredded lettuce, and chopped tomato.
Also, following @murrigellas on Twitter, it does seem that contemporary Aboriginal culture includes nachos, see Big Mob Nachos #bigmobnachos https://twitter.com/murrigellas/status/1114422337724485632
Pimelea are still thriving in Lowlands Reserve, on our block and in beds in town planted out by Denmark Shire . City of Albany sometimes pair the plantings of pink Pimelea with the purple Patersonia to great effect.
Climate change could adversely affect Pimeleas, as research has shown that optimal spring flowering occurs after average winter temperatures of 12 to 15 degrees.
A warmer climate could inhibit the glorious show of profusely blooming pink Pimeleas in Lowlands Reserve in Spring https://www.publish.csiro.au/bt/bt9960047 https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-642-20763-1_9
My fundraising for Bush Heritage #groundworkchallenge is going well . To join my team or donate go to https://www.groundworkchallenge.org.au/fundraisers/sheilamurray/2020?fbclid=IwAR2HbNn0YsCCc3tiSK-_lbF5xLsssaD8wjGHaUwVYrRqYxM-kdJkijoj2N0
Follow me on instagram and twitter @lowlandsbeach . https://www.instagram.com/lowlandsbeach/
https://twitter.com/lowlandsbeach
Lowlands Reserve is managed by the local community and City of Albany. Bush Heritage manage lots of other wonderful reserves.
Lowlands Reserve is on Minang Boodja — country. I celebrate the resilience, culture and capacity of the traditional owners, the Minang Noongar people of the Wagyl Kaip region
